Homefront Tackk - Life in The South during The Civil War .

my name is Josephine Adelaide Phillips , and I am a 16 year old girl . I grew up in Atlanta , Georgia , but when I turned 15 my family and I moved to Charleston , South Carolina . I now live with my my mother : Catherine , two brothers : Henry and Samuel , and two sisters : Lucinda and Matilda . My father , Josiah , moved about about a year ago because he was stationed pretty far , serving for the Confederate in the Civil War . My journal entry dates form August 21-25 , 1862 .

Entry 1 : August 21st , 1862 .

Today is Thursday , August 21 , 1862 . Today is like any other day , in the mornig I help my mother with chores , play with my siblings for awhile , wash the clothes down by the creek , feed the chickens and horses , and I sweep the porch . Later in the day , I help with dinner , usually take one of my horses for a walk/ride , wait until after dinner to wash dishes , and before I wash up and go to bed I try to make time to write to my father . I always make time to write to my father , I miss him dearly and even though he hasn't been able to write back I know he misses just as much , but I just want him to remeber we are thinking about him and praying for him to return safe .

Entry 2 : September 22nd , 1862 .

Dear Father ,

Mother and I just recieved the news , but just mother and me have really brought up the subject, because Henry , Samuel , Lucinda , Matilda are all much too young to understand . A battle has just broke out , and they are calling it the bloodiest battle of the civil war yet . Right now they are estimating about 50,000 casualties and the battle has not even ended ! I know mother won't discuss her concerns with me about being worried about you , because we are not sure where you are located or even know if you were involved in the battle . But I'm praying to God we're not going to receive news that you were one of those men that were pronounced dead or couldn't be accounted for after/during the battle , but I need to be positve , right , like you always said ? But it's so hard to stay up , when I don't where you are , how you are doing or anything . Mother says I need to just try doing things to keep my mind clear from all bad thoughts , and try to be in the places that make me the happiest . But all my happy places were with you , all my favorite things I did was with you . It's hard to enjoy eveything I used to and trying to relax knowing the thing that made them so special , so fun , so memerable is no longer here to do that. Mother and I aren't the only ones becoming restless , all the families in town are nervous to find out if their loved ones are safe . "NEWLY SPRUNG BATTLE LEAVING THOUSANDS IN DISTRESS," from the local newspaper was the resource to finding out about everything , and quite frankly I think I would be better off not knowing . I just wish the battles would end, I wish the war would end , I just wish everything would go back to our normal , but I guess for now I'll to wait for the time when we are reunited and I am back in your arms . please father , please , write back as soon as you can . We all love you so much .

Your Daughter ,

Josephine .

Entry 3 : October 23rd , 1862 .

Today my family and I left and went to a town south of us also in Charleston . Late yesterday morning they were hit with a naval attack , and half the town was destroyed . I admire my mother so much , even through it all -all that we are going through , she still manages to put other's before her . I hear her cry at night when we're supposed to be asleep , but of course she stays so strong in front of us and even comforts us rather than grieving herself . But once we finally arrived to all the destruction we immendiatley saw hundreds that were injured. Being a nurse , mother jumped right to work . She sent the twins , Lucinda and Matilda , off in matter of minutes to fetch a pail of water for a man with a huge gash in the side of his head , and burns up and down is leg . I started to feel dizzy , then when I turned around I saw probably thousands of injured people , blood splattered all over the ground , and then blackness . ----------- I awoke back at my house , in my bed . The door opened right as I started to wake up , and Henry came running in jumping right on top of me , mother snapped at him telling him to settle down . Mother told me I had passed out when we were helping , and hit my head off a rock . She said for now to rest , and just take it eas

Entry 4 : Novmeber 24th , 1862 .

I don't think I have ever been as happy as I am now , we finally recieved a letter form father! I think the entire family had tears of joy running donw their cheeks as soon as mother announced the arrival of the letter . Father said he is stationed in , and just today was given the many , many letters I wrote to him over the past couple months . But then we got the "more serious" par of his letter ; Father was involved in the antitem battle and bald injured his left leg . He always suffered a few more injures but they were more minor . He hasn't been able to march , or help serve since the time of his injury . And that the only reason he has time to read my letters and write back to them is , because of him just being able to lay around in the hospital cot all day . He said the war seemed as if it were nearing the end , and that he would be home sooner than any of us knew . I hope he's right . Father also mentioned a few other battles that took place , that apparently the newspapers failed to inform us about . And found out that some men in my town , even close neighbors had been killed serving . I will continue to pray for this to end , and for my daddy to return .

Entry 5 : April 25th , 1863 .

Today was more eventful than lately . Father and I have exchanged several more letters , but I try wiritng a letter to him every night . Even if I decide not to send it , I always hold on to it. Mother said she had even wrote to father , and is keeping all us kids continously updated on his condition . But today was more eventual than usual , because our late president , President Lincoln , was assassinated . We just heard this over the town's radio and a couple short clippings from the newspaper , "PRESIDENT'S ASSASSINATED !" , and "THE KILLING OF LINCOLN ." I've overheard local people talking about how this happening could potentially trigger an end to the war , but all we can do is pray , pray , and pray a little more.